While the importance of strength, flexibility, and conditioning has been a primary focus in enhancing athleticism and performance, the role of posture has been comparatively ignored. However, without proper posture, dynamic and coordinated movement will never be optimized. This is because the skeletal system serves as the framework on which muscles act. Sub-par skeletal alignment will result in decreased performance.
While posture is important to many sports, in the game of golf it plays one of the most important, if not the most important role. This concept was very simply stated by Ben Hogan by which he stated, “The proper stance and posture enable a golfer to be perfectly balanced and poised throughout the golf swing. Only then will his legs, arms, and body be able to carry out their interrelated assignments correctly.”
One of the most common errors in golf poster is a “hunching over” of the spine or rounding of the shoulders during the golf swing. This results from excessive bending of the thoracic vertebrae and leads to poor mechanics and performance and possible injury.
A specific example of incorrect golf posture is seen when evaluating the biomechanical effects of one of the most common swing faults of amateur golfers, the “reverse-C” position. A “reverse-C” results when a golfer laterally slides the hips forward during downswing while the head lags behind and weight remains on the trailing side (typically, the right side). This motion results in a “C” position of the spine at finish, which creates 50%-80% more force than a properly executed golf swing which results in a neutral spine. (The Physician and Sports Medicine, Vol.27, NO.7, July 1999.) In fact myoelectric studies of lumbar spine muscles (L3-L4) show greater activity in amateurs than professionals. Data indicates that amateurs generate 80% greater lateral bending and shear forces and 50% more torque. These may predispose golfers with incorrect posture to muscle strains, facet injuries and herniated discs.